GiveDirectly: Send money directly to the extreme poor

2nd Payment

Transfer Amount

53150 KES ($516 USD)

almost 5 years ago

How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?

I still believe that without the transfers my life would not have taken this new trajectory where my kids can now enjoy a peaceful night by sleeping on the new bed with a new mattress which I bought for them, they no longer have to spend their nights sleeping on the floor like they used to do in the past. I also do have a cow which will provide milk in the future and what that means is that I will no longer be buying milk from the local vendors anymore.

In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?

I was happy when the organizations came to our village and it changed peoples lives in different ways where a certain group of people used the money to buy livestock while others spent their money on paying school fees for their kids.

What did you spend your second transfer on?

I spent the cash transfers on a number of items which included buying a cow which sold tome at a cost of Kes 17000. I had to buy a cow because I am tired of buying milk from the local vendors every now and then. On top of that, I had to get my kids a new bed and a mattress. My kids used to sleep on a mat on the floor which of course was quite embarrassing but then there was not so much we could do about it because of lack of finances. I also bought up to six goats which I will be rearing within this locality with the primary intention being to sell them at some point in the future in case I will have run out of finances. I had to make sure that my kids have enough food to eat going into the future so I bought one sack of maize at a cost of around Kes 4000. Whatever remained went into my savings account.

Initial Payment

Transfer Amount

55000 KES ($539 USD)

almost 5 years ago

Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.

Owning the pair of oxen to me is the biggest difference in my daily life. Having the pair of oxen to me is a boost to my farming for its economical and readily available, and a better alternative to a tractor. With the pair, I am assured of increased harvests which will ensure food security in my household. I will also be hiring these services to others thus earning an income during the planting season.

Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?

I received message alerts on my phone early in the morning and on checking to confirm who the sender was, I realized that it was from GiveDirectly. It was informing me that I had received my first transfer into my Mpesa account. I could not contain the joy that instantly filled my heart. I celebrated with my family as we gave thanks to God and to GiveDirectly for the money.

What did you spend your first transfer on?

I spent part of the first transfer to clear fee arrears for my three children in school. This enabled them to be allowed back to school and continue with their studies and also giving me enough time to prepare for the next payment. In addition to this, I also spent KES 27000 to buy a pair of oxen. As a farmer, my ambition has always been to improve my farming for better harvests. Having this pair is time-saving because it is readily available, which means I will be carrying out my farming practice early and timely unlike before. I also purchased a new wooden bed and a mattress for my children to sleep on. They had been sleeping on worn out mats and I replaced them with the new beddings for them to enjoy a comfortable sleep. I spent the remaining amount on buying daily foodstuffs as well as paying for other households expenses.

Enrolled

5 years ago

What does receiving this money mean to you?

Receiving this money will grant us the opportunity to finally set up our own charcoal stall in Mombasa where the business is very lucrative. We will finally be able to afford setting up a stall, buying bulky stock of charcoal and paying transportation charges from production sites deep within the villages to Mombasa town. For a very long time, it has always been our desire to venture into this business but due to lack of finances to set it up,we always felt that it shall forever remain to be a dream. Now thanks to the transfers that we will be receiving, our dream will come true. We will work hand in hand with my husband whereby I will be sourcing for the product and sending to him in Mombasa to be selling since he is more learned than I and he will be able to do the calculations to make our business grow.

What is the happiest part of your day?

I am mostly happy in the evening after returning home from the fields where I spend most of my time cutting logs and preparing the furnace to burn charcoal. This task is normally very tiring more so when coupled with the scotching heat from the sun and after I am through by evening, I normally feel very happy because I not only get to rest, I also feel the satisfaction and fulfilment of having set on course a means of getting money upon sale to fend for some of my children's needs.

What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?

Financial constraint is the biggest hardship that we face as a family. Much as we have tried to merge my income from burning and selling charcoal with my husband's income as a casually employed driver in Mombasa, it is not always enough to cater for all the needs of our six children. We are not yet able to consistently pay for their school fees thus the reason why they are always on and off of school. Constructing a spacious shelter is also a very big challenge for us. Currently, we have all been forced to squeeze in our one bed roomed house which is very uncomfortable with grown up teenagers. We are forced to share sleeping mats since we can not even afford beds and to a large extent this limits everyone's privacy.